Horse Racing Nation: My Favorite Photos of 2014, Part I & II

I've shared my favorite photos of 2014 over two posts on Horse Racing Nation.

See Part I here.

See Part II here.

Limerick lunging - video

I took a short video of Lim while I was lunging her before a ride a couple weeks ago. I think she moves so nicely for her age, and that pleases me to no end.

Feral cat shelter for the barn

The barn has three cats and one--Max--is feral. I try to ensure all the cats are in the tack room/kitchen area each night but due his nature, it is sometimes difficult to bring Max inside. In the past, when left outside at night, Max had access a dry, warm-ish place for shelter. But this area is no longer accessible. So I decided to make him a feral cat shelter.

The shelter will be placed off the floor in the garage, which is accessible by all the cats when they're outside.

1" insulating foam ($15, Walmart) and a polyfleece throw ($3, Walmart). Not pictured: a 20-gallon plastic bin ($7, Home Depot).

I lined the walls of the plastic bin with the foam and secured it with duct tape.

The lid of the plastic bin was also lined in foam.

For extra comfort, I cut the polyfleece throw in half and lined the walls of the bin with one section.

Two layers of foam insulate the floor of the bin.

The second section of the polyfleece throw went on top of the foam-lined floor.

The (near) finished product. It just needs catnip and straw (for extra insulation).

Brewsky gave the bin his seal of approval.

Cigar's Memorial: Photos

At 2pm on November 14, an icy breeze denied the warmth of the sunlight that slipped by the clouds drifting over the Bluegrass. This same cold breeze wove through the columns of the Hall of Champions pavilion and nipped the cheeks of the people gathered inside. But despite the chill, at that moment the love for a great horse made the pavilion the warmest spot in the Kentucky Horse Park. 

 Welcome to Cigar's memorial.

"Unconquerable, invincible, unbeatable"

A shuttle took my mom and me to the location of the memorial, which left little time to prepare myself for his grave. As we got off the shuttle, I spotted it next to Cigar's paddock--a swath of black bark bare except for a gray headstone and a couple flower bouquets. It was an emotional punch to the gut. But honestly, if I had all the time in the world to prepare, the response would have been the same.

 

My mom signing Cigar's guest book.

Hot cocoa in hand, my mom says hello to Funny Cide.

On the monitors in the Hall of Champions pavilion, within the list of current Hall of Champions residents, Cigar's name was highlighted for the last time. Beneath these monitors the tributes and accolades flowed, and as sad as the memorial was, I was very grateful to be there with my mother, who watched Cigar race with me all those years ago.

You may watch a video of Cigar's memorial here. Many thanks to the Kentucky Horse Park for providing me with a sign language interpreter for the memorial service.

The memorial service.

Cigar's empty stall.

The Hall of Champions.

Flowers fill the bare oval of Cigar's grave. The Kentucky Horse Park will place a bronze statue of Cigar at the head of his grave next year.

A large banner hung behind Cigar's grave. Sharpies were provided for signatures. "Thanks for the memories" I noted on the banner. I paused then added a couple hearts. Hearts are not something that I draw loosely or often, but I knew the teenage girl in me--the one that watched the great horse run--would approve.

Man o' War's grave.

The Kentucky Horse Park--quiet on a cold day.